Printing and counting sorter



Feb. 23, 1937 ZEN I HAL 2,071,487

PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Filed Nov. 28; 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ZENNIG PAUL szcnzn Feb. 23, 1937. J ZENMG E AL 2,071,487

PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Filed Nov. 28, M51 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1937. J Z ET AL 2,071,487

PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Filed Nov. 28, 193; 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY J. ZENNI G ET AL PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Feb. 23, 1937.

Filed Nov 28. 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1937. J. ZENNIG ET L 2,071,487

PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Filed Nov. 28, 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESSES )1,- ZZ iNVENTOR MW Z W ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1937. ZENNIG ET AL 2,071,487

PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Filkd Nov. 28, 193-1 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 WITNESSES NVilfl'lfRmu 7a.

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ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1937. I ZENNlG ET AL 2,071,487

PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Filed Nov. 28, 1931 QSheets-Sheet'? uo r 3 Q08 O00 O00 O00 O00 OQO 080 808 D og wwwzsses 808 INVENTOR AT TOR NEY .I. ZENNIG ET AL PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Feb. 23, 1937.

Filed Nov. 28, 1931 9 Sheets-$heet 8 RN EY- Feb.-23, 1937. J. ZENNIG ET AL PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Fil ed Nov; 28. 1931 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 INV-ENTOR JOHANNES ZENNIG PAUL BECKER 6%. 4 QATTSOORNEY' Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRINTING AND COUNTING SORTER Application November 28, 1931, Serial No. 577,803 In Germany November 28, 1930 8 Claims.

' Our invention relates to sorting machines which count cards as they pass into sorting pockets and count the total number of cards fed through the machine.

One object of our invention is to devise a simple and comparatively inexpensive attachment which may be readily installed on commercial sorting machines.

Another object of our invention is to provide consecutive numbering operating devices which may be attached to sorting machines where the extents of movement are variable within rough limits imposed by the manufacture.

Another object of our invention is to provide means-for printing the amounts registered on the consecutive number counters.

Another objects of our invention is to provide for counting the total number of cards which have been run through the machine in successive runs.

Another object of our invention is to devise a printing. counting head which is constructed largely from parts obtainable on the market, as for example, consecutive numbering counters,

platen mechanism, ribbon feed mechanism, etc.

I Another object of our invention is to provide means for stopping the machine if a damaged card obstructs the passage of succeeding cards.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a commercial sorter with our invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an isometric diagram of the connections between a sensing pin and a trigger setting plunger.

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the connections operated by a set trigger for setting an interponent to operate a consecutive number counter.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a portion of the resetting devices and a ribbon spool.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the printing lever.

Fig. 6 is an isometric viewof a fragment of the paper carriage.

Fig. '1 is a rear isometric view of the ribbon feed and reversing means and a portion of the platen line space mechanism.

Fig. 8 is an isometric .view showing the resetting mechanism for the grand total counter.

Fig. 9 is an isometric diagrammatic view of the mechanism for operating the grand total counters and part of the mechanism for stopping the machine. v I

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary isometric view of a part of the anti-stacking mechanism.

Fig. llis a sample of a record printed by the machine.

Fig. 12 is a view, on reduced scale, of one trigger carrying discs.

Fig. 13 is a view showing the train of mechanism for operating the grand total counter.

Fig. 14 is a substantially full sized elevation of 6 a frame carrying one of the consecutive number counters. 1

Fig. 15 is an elevation of the counting head, taken from above and in front thereof, showing the relation of the various parts to each other.

Fig. 16 is a view of one of the two-part hooks 45-4511, showing the construction in detail.

Fig. 17 is a view of the two-part hooks 58-5la, showing details of construction.

In statistical work it is frequently desirable to tabulate, what is in effect, a census report of different data, for example, suppose it is desired to know the number of different sizes, the difierent styles and the number or quantity of shoes sold by a chain of shoe stores. In a card, representing a pair of shoes, one column of perforations will identify the style, another column will identify the sizes, and a third column will identify the branch store selling the shoes. If the cards of a stack representing the sales of pairs of shoes from the different stores are run through the sorter and are sorted according to the numbers of the branch stores, and a printing impression is taken, a row of numbers, such as the first in Fig. 11, will be a census rsum of the number 'of sales made by each branch store. If the sorter is then set to sort for sizes a second run of the cards will be a census of the different sizes which have been sold, and finally if the sorter is set for style, the last row in Fig. 11 will represent the differing styles which have been sold. After each printing of the operation the counters will be cleared. The next to the last column indicates that no cards have been omitted during each run and the last column gives a total of all the cards sent through the machine for the series of runs.

.The example of a shoe sale census is merely typical of uses to which the machine may be put. Its application to other types of census tabulations will be apparent from the particular example cited.

V Powers sorter In order that the cooperation of the new mechanism with the Powers type of sorter for which it is especially designed may be clear, a brief description of the operation of that sorter will be given at this point. 4

Cards are stacked in the magazine It (Fig. 1) and are fed one by one by means of a picker knife 22 (reciprocated, through links and eccentrics, by the main drive shaft 33) to the forward (left-hand, as viewed in Fig. 1) pair of feed rolls 23, which carries them into the sensing chamber formed by the upper and lower guide plates 2 Each card is held in the chamber by a card stop 8 (see Fig. 13) during a complete sensing operation, against the action of the rear feed or eject rolls 23.

The cards are sensed by a group of sensing pins 26 which are mounted in a sensing pin box U26 (of the type shown in W. W. Lasker Patent No. 1,534,595), which is in turn adjustably mounted on guide rails 25 forming part of a reciprocating sensing head or cross head M5. The pin box may be manually moved to any desired column of the card.

Mounted on guide rails fill beneath the sensing chamber is a frame 531 in which are mounted the sheaths of Bowden wires 21, the cores of which are adapted to be moved by sensing pins which have found holes in the card above. This frame slides along its guide rails in conjunction with the manual setting of the sensing pin box so that the cores of said wires lie, at all times, directly under the sensing pins.

When the sensing head 125 is reciprocated, those pins which find holes in the cards come into contact with the cores of the Bowden wires and extend the remote ends of these cores.

Movement of the core of a Bowden wire 2T! causes a bell crank 19 (see also Fig. 2, which shows details of the mechanism) to rock about its pivot to cause a pin or plunger 29 to be extended into the path of one of a series of trip-- ping cams 2t mounted upon one of a series of tripping discs 2%. There is a' tripping disc for each pocket. All discs are mounted upon a tripping shaft 34, which is driven by the main shaft 33 and is thus synchronized with the reciprocations of the sensing head.

When a tripping cam 28 encounters an extended plunger 29, the cam moves radially outward to a position beyond the periphery of the disc and is locked in this position. The manner of locking tripped cams in their outward position is best seen by referring to Fig. 12, which shows the side elevation of a tripping disc and the tripping cams thereon. The tripping cam 28 comprises an arm 35 pivoted to the disc 20 on one end and having pivoted to it at the other end the actual cam 28. The lower end of the piece 23 has in it a slot, which is enlarged at its lower end and which fits over a pin in the tripping disc. Connected from each pin to'the adjacent member 28 is a spring 36 which tends to pull the member 28 sidewise so that the pin extending into the slot thereof lies in the enlarged portion, thus holding v the disc outwardly when it has been raised to that position through the action of a pin or plunger 29 on the arm 35. After the tripping shaft and the tripping disc involved have rotated a sufiicient amount the tripped cam strikes an arm 30 (Fig. 1) which is thus caused to rotate the shaft I30 on which it is fixedly mounted. The shafts I30 carry the card gates or deflectors 3i so that the operation of an arm results in the opening of a gate. Arms 30 also carry pins on their outer ends, which strike the upstanding projections (see Fig. 12) on tripped cams and restore the cams to normal position.

Since the plungers 29 are mounted in dliierent positions relative to the circumferences of the discs, it is obvious that the time between the operation of a plunger and the operation of an associated card gate varies. As is clearly described in Patent No. 1,315,370, issued to W. W. Lasker on September 9, 1919 the construction is such that the time between the operation of a particular plunger and the associated card gate is equal to the time required for the transporting rollers (Fig. l) to convey the card from the sensing chamber to the gate.

From the above it is seen that each card is separately sensed and deposited in a pocket with all other cards which are perforated in the same row in the column sensed.

The, counting and printing mechanism of the present invention is especially adapted to coopcrate with sorters of the type just described.

General construction of the counting head Fastened to the sorter frame just to the rear of the reciprocating cross head H25 are two standards it, one on either side of the frame (Figs. 1 and 15).

Each of these standards supports a cheek plate (Hid; the two cheek plates are joined by various rods and shafts to form a counting head generally designated H (Figs. 1 and 15).

Printing counters and mountings therefor Journaled in the two cheek plates Mill and extending beyond these plates on either side is a printing shaft 52 (Figs. 4, 8 and 15). Mounted on the shaft between the plates is a plurality of castings 651, each of which is provided with a recess into which a consecutive number counter of ordinary construction is fastened (Fig. 14).

These counters in the present instance are of the type manufactured by H. Pautze and Company of Berlin, Germany. They comprise counters of the deep notch transfer type as shown. for example, in United States Patent No. 323,340 issued to Kilmer, combined with resetting mechanism of the spline and pawl type such as that shown in United States Patent No. 723,213 to Rinsche.

Each casting 6i (Fig. I l) is made with a hub portion llili, which surrounds the shaft 62 and is free to rotate with respect thereto within the limits imposed by a screw pin 63, which extends through a slot in the hub and is screwed into the shaft 52. Each casting (ii also has a projection G62 which carries a stud or screw I63; be tween the pin 53 and the screw I63 a spring I64 is stretched, thus holding the casting rotated counterclockwiseto the greatest possible extent with respect to the shaft (as viewed in Fig. 14). All counters are mounted in the same manner, the pocket counters, designated P (Fig. 15) being mounted in order from left to right, the sub-total counter ST being mounted in the casting Bi second from the right and the grand total counter GT in the casting 5i nearest the right-hand cheek plate lltiil. I

Platen Mounted on the rearward extensions of the cheek plates liiill and extending between them is a bar ill (Figs. 1, i, 6 and 15) on which a channel member 88 is fastened. Brackets on said channel member 88, in turn, support the shaft'89 of a cylindrical platen 92 of usual type. Suitable paper guides 90 and pressure rolls 9! are provided for holding the paper sheet in contact with the platen 92 (Figs. 6 and 15). If desired, the channel member 88 may be arranged to move relative to the support 81 in the usual manner.

Ribbon mechanism Mounted on bars H2 extending across the counting head is a pair of brackets H3, one near each cheek plate of the counting head in these brackets is a pair of. ribbon spools 15 (Figs. 4, 7 and 8) from which an inking ribbon 14 extends upwardly, thence over rollers on a direction changer 16 fast to the shaft 62, thence horizontally through ribbon guides to the other side of the counting head; thence downwardly over the ribbon direction changer 16 mounted rigidly on the shaft 62 and rollers likewise mounted on the shaft to the receiving spool .15. Each of the said ribbon spools 15 is attached to a shaft 11 in any well known manner. Near the middle of the machine, as shown In Fig. '1, is a pair of ribbon actuating ratchets 18. Each of the ratchets is fast to a corresponding ribbon spool shaft 11. Between the ratchets is pivoted a pawl carrying frame 80 which is connected by a link to an arm ll fast on the'main printing shaft 62. Each leg of the frame 80 carries a spring pressed ratchet operating pawl 63 for actuating a ratchet, its shaft and the ribbon spool, respectively. Mounted on a block rigid with the frame is a T-shaped spring pressed member lying over the center ribbon reversing lever 83, which shifts to one side or the other of the center when the one or the other of the ribbon spools becomes unwound and undue tension exists in the ribbon, thus reversing the direction of the ribbon feed.

Printing operation On the left-hand end of the shaft 62, outside the cheek plate, there is a printing handle H, which is adapted to be manually operated to rotate the castings 6I and thus bring the counter type wheels and the inking ribbon against paper on the platen.

The counters are normally retained in their non-printing position, or the handle H in its unoperated position, by means of a latch I95, which is controlled by a lever 95 (Fig. The latch I95 is slidable in a groove in the handle H and has a pin which cooperates with a notch on latch plate 96, which is attached to the outside of the left-hand one of the cheek plates I90 (see also Fig. 4). Latch I95 is normally held in its upper position by a spring; pressure on lever 95 rotates the lever about its pivot and causes the latch I95 to be lowered due to action on the pin at the lower end of the latch by a slot in the lever, thus releasing the handle for operation.

As will be obvious from a consideration of the construction set forth above, the springs I64 obviate any difllculty which might arise due to inaccurate circumferential positioning of the screws 63 on the shaft 62; for with the spring arrangement, if the type wheels of one counter strike the platen before those of the others, then the spring of the one stretches and the other counters may be moved against the paper, thus substantially equalizing the printing pressure of all counters.

From the above, the manner of printing the record of the counters is obvious, but it is, of course, necessary to actuate the counters to produce a record.- The power for operating the counters is derived from the movement of the reciprocating cross-head I25 and is transmitted to the counters through various levers, rods, etc.

Actuation of the counters Attached to each end of the cross-head frame is a rod I4 (Figs. 1, 4 and 8). Each rod terminates adjacent to the corresponding cheek plate I99 and the two rodsare joined by the spring anchor I I and by bail member I3 to form an auxiliary oscillating framework, which, of course, moves synchronously with the cross-head I25. In order to prevent sidewise movement of the rods I4, anchor member II and bail I3, each end of the member II has pivoted thereto a link I2. The rearmost ends of the links I2 are loosely mounted between collars on the printing shaft 62, and thus serve to confine the motion of the auxiliary frame to a vertical plane, and to make a strong mechanical unit.

The bail I3 (Figs. 3 and 16) is provided with a plurality of grooves, equal in number to the number of counters, into each of which a notch in the forward portion 41 of one of the two part operating levers 41-48 is positioned. Each operating lever is composed of two bell cranks 41 and 48, joined by a spring 49 extending between the upwardly projecting arm of bell crank 48 and the downwardly extending arm of hell crank 41. The construction prevents breakage of parts, if for any reason, a jam should occur. It also obviates difficulties due to slight manufacturing inaccuracies. It will be seen that, except when broken by unusual resistance to motion, the levers 41-48 act as simple levers pivoted on bail I3. An additional spring 39 is provided for each lever 41-48; this spring extends from a pin located near the bend of the bell crank 41 to the anchor member I I and serves two purposes, namely, to hold the lever 41-48 in its groove and to maintain it in its lowest position.

If the forward end of a lever 41-48 (that is the left end, as viewed in Fig. 3 or the right-hand end as viewed in Fig. 16) be held stationary with respect to the counting head H, while a reciprocation of the cross-head I25 occurs, it will be seen that the rearward end 48 will rise and will lift the associated actuating rod 50 to move the counter ahead a step or number. The mode of holding the forward end of the lever will be described hereinafter.

In order to assure proper operation of the extending from arms I4 to the cheek plates I00.

Cooperating with the forward end of each lever and projecting above it, is a stud I6, which is fastened to the adjacent cheek plate I00. Thus, as the framework I4, II, I3 rises the bail I5 rises against the action of springs H4 and permits selected levers 41-48 to operate associated counters. It will be noted (Figs. '1 and 8) that a wire link 91 extends from each arm 18 (which arms are associated with the ribbon mechanism described above) to a pin on the forward end of each lever I4. These links move to the rear whenever the printing shaft 62 is rotated, and since the arms 16 are fastened to that shaft, rearward motion of the links causes elevation of the bail I5, and thus permits the counters to 1'0- tate to printing position with no interference between the actuating rods 50 and the bail I5.

Selection of counters for actuation In respect to the manner of controlling their operation, the counters may be divided into groups; the pocket counters P and total counters ST and GT.

There are as many pocket counters P as there are card pockets or receptacles (exclusive of the reject pocket), or, in the present example, 11 (Fig. 15 shows these 11 counters extending from the left side of the counting head). These 11 counters are similarly selected and consequently a single description will suffice for all.

Pocket counters Extending between and pivoted in the cheek plates Mitt at the front ends thereof is a bar i l (Figs. 4 and 8) adapted to be moved to either a count or no count position by a lrey or arm til fastened to the right-hand end of the bar and cooperating with notches in the right-hand cheek plate toil. Fastened to the bar 60- (see Figs. 3 and 16) are the L shaped pieces MM, which have holes in their rearward ends adapted to hold the sheaths of Bowden wire 63. On each piece MM is a bracket 0%, which. serves to support a two part hook iii- 35a. The portion that is a bell cranlr pivoted on a screw W6 and having a rearward extension which is slotted to provide for attachment of the core of a Bowden wire adapted to be rocked by the core of the associated Bowden wire. -disc pivoted on M96 is the hooi: mern er 45, which is in line with a pin on one of the two part operating levers Gil-d8, and serves to hold the lever down to cause actuation of the counter in the manner described herein before. The hook 15 and the bell crank. 1511 are joined by a spring 52 so that, when the core of the Ecwden wire 63 is retracted, the bell crank will be positively rocked and the hook moved by the spring. spring connected hooks permit the use of the counting head on Sort rs, the mowparts of which have different extents of movement, for, regardless of the movement Ber den wires in excess of a definite minii 1 the hooks will be properly positioned. above (A e n excess of the inert tags 52 to stretch. n spring 36, for: each heel: i

ed. This err c; M5 to a stu l3 and fi l 7 m e discs 33,12, 2. Du

supports a Total counters In addition to the pocket counters P, there are provided two total counters, one (ST) for sub-totals and the other (GT) for grand totals. The sub-total counter is used to determine the number of cards sorted in each run and the grand total counter to determine the number sorted in a number of runs. These two counters are selected and operated in exactly the same manner, but are re-set to zero reading differently. The re-setting mechanism for all counters will be discussed hereinafter.

The grand total counter GT is mounted in a casting 6i located at the right-hand side of the printing shaft 62, and the sub-total counter ST likewise mounted in a casting till is located immediately to the left of the grand total counter.

These two counters are actuated by two part levers operated by the frame M, iii, M, and are restored by the bail it in exactly the same manner as described for the pocket counters.

The manner of selecting the total. counters for actuation differs somewhat from that for the pocket counters. However, the last step in the selecting process is similar to the corresponding step in selecting the pockets, and consists in placing hooks in the path of pins on the lever parts 6?.

Mounted on the bar it (Figs. 9 and 1'?) is an angle bracket Hill in which the sheath of a Bowden wire 56 is mounted. Mounted on the bracket Mil are two brackets HEM, each of which supports a two part hool: 58Ei8a 9 and 17) each of which is in line with one othe levers ill-GS. Each two part hoolr 58 and 58d cornprises the hook portion 58 which pivoted by means of a screw iii to a bracket Hi9 the bell cranlr. portion 58a likewise pivoted to the bracket i619 through the medium of the scr w i i i. The two portions are coin ected together 'ng 52 which extend c .1 on t;

descending thus causes the core of the Bowden wire 58 to be extended to actuate the total counters.

'When there is no card in the sensing chamber, the plunger 55 will travel downward (stationary, relative to the cross-head I25) and the bell crank I8 will rock counterclockwise, wherefore the step II on lever 54 will be held out of the path of card stop 8. Thus, when there is no.

Resetting mechanism The foregoing has shown how the various counters are operated in accordance with the operation of the sorter. It is necessary that the counters be restored to their zero settings; restoration of the pocket counters and the subtotal counter ordinarily occurs after each run, while restoration of the grand total counter occurs after a plurality of runs.

. is a collar which carries a pin 61. Each of these Each counter is provided with a shaft on which a re-setting gear (Figs. 3 and 4) is mounted. Meshing with each re-setting gear is a mutilated gear 64 (Figs. 4 and 14). Integral with each gear 64 is a hub 69 (Fig. 14) adapted to rotate in a journal formed in the casting 6|. The castings,,hub and gear are arcuately slotted to permit them to move relative to an associated resetting shaft 68 or resetting sleeve 90.

Immediately to the right of each gear 64 and fixed to shaft 60 or sleeve 98, as the case may be,

' 64 of the grand total counter is rotated and the counter reset to give a zero reading.

Journaled at its left end in the left-hand cheek plate I00 and at its right end in the sleeve 98 is the re-setting shaft 68 (Figs. 4 and 8). This shaft carries at its left end, outside the lefthand cheek plate, a handle 'I0 ,(Fig. 4) maintained in its rearmost position by a spiral spring I10. This shaft carries pins 61 for all the pocket counters and for the sub-total counter, and by rotating it forwardly the readings of these counters are reduced to zero.

The paper, which is to receive the printing, is supported by a cylindrical roller platen (shown in section in Fig. 6) provided with mechanism for rotating it after each printing operation.

Paper feeding mechanism Fast to one end of the printing shaft 02 is an arm 84 (Figs. 7 and 8) carrying a roller I84 which works in an open V-shaped slot in the lever 85.' At the forward end of said lever 05 is a straight slot I85, through which extends a pin,

86 on a slide, which carries the platen line-spacing pawl mechanism (Note that Fig. 7 is a rear view). This line-spacing mechanism is of the type fully illustrated and described in Patent No. 1,627,394, granted to W. W. Lasker on May 3, 1927 and, therefore, is not described in detail here.

Anti-stacking mechanism Sometimes a faulty card, in passing through a sorting machine, becomes jammed and, unless the machine is quickly stopped, other cards will be snagged on the jammed card, thus resulting in destroying or mutilating some of the cards being sorted.

In order to provide for quickly stopping the machine and preventing the destruction of cards, there is provided, by the present invention, a mechanism for opening the circuit to the power source, whenever a card becomes jammed in the transporting chamber.

This mechanism comprises a light rod 6 (Figs. 1 and extending the length of the transporting chamber along substantially the longitudinal center line thereof, and lying immediately above the plane of the card gates or deflectors 3I. The

rod 6 is supported in the position indicated by two pairs of arms I08 (shown in- Fig. 10); each pair of arms is fastened to a shaft, which is journaled in brackets fastened to the frame member and each shaft extends transversely across the chamber. The rearmost shaft 50. (Fig. 10) serves no other purpose than to support the rod 6; the front shaft 5 (Fig. 9) extends through the left-hand frame member 9 and carries at its outer end an arm 4 to the lower end of which is pivotally attached a wire link 3, terminating in a loop. The loop in the forward end of wire 3 fits over the break arm 2 of a well known form of snap switch common in Powers sorting machines and illustrated in Lasker Patent No.

1,485,681 issued March 4, 1924.

It is readily seen from the above that when there is a card jam, it causes the rod 6 to be elevated, thus rotating the shaft 5 and pulling the link 3, and arm 2 rearwardly, to cause the switch to break the circuit to the driving motor, and thus immediately stop the machine.

Having described our invention, we claim:-

1. In combination, a counter mechanism including an actuating rod therefor, an operating lever for the actuating rod, a shaft on which said lever is pivotally mounted, a hook member adapted to engage one end of said lever, means for causing the engagement of said hook and said lever, and means for reciprocating said shaft whereby said lever is rocked to operate said actuating rod when said hook and said lever are in engagement.

2. In combination, a counter, a rod for effecting step-by-step operation of said counter, a lever for actuating said rod, a reciprocable assembly including a supporting shaft for sa d lever, a hook member adapted to engage said lever, means for setting said hook member to engage said lever, and means for reciprocating the supporting shaft assembly, whereby, when said hook is set to engage said lever, one end of said lever is held by said hook member, whereas the other end of said lever is forced upwardly to actuate said rod and thereby said counter.

3. In a machine having a counter mechanism mounted thereon, an actuating rod for inserting amounts in the counter, and operating means for the actuating rod, said operating means comprising a lever pivotally mounted on a moving part or the machine and adapted when rocked to op crate the actuating rod, a hook mounted on a fixed part of the machine and adapted when engaged with said lever to condition said lever to he rocked by said moving part, and means to engage said hook with said lever.

i. In a machine having a counter mechanism including an actuating rod therefor, the combination of a lever for operating said actuating rod, a hook mounted on a' fixed part of the machine and adapted to engage one end of said lever, a shaft mounted on a moving part of the machine for supporting said lever whereby the lever is moved relatively to said hook and said actuating rod, and means to engage said hook with'said lever to cause said lever to be rocked by said moving part to operate the counter actuating rod.

5. In combination, a plurality of printing counters, an oscillatable shaft for supporting the counters, a recording surface for receiving an imprint from the counters, means for oscillating said shaft to cause the counters to print, and resilient means disposed between the counters and the shaft to compensate for inaccuracies in the mounting of the counters on the shaft.

6. In a machine having a plurality of printing counters and a recording surface for receiving an imprint from said counters; the combination of a shaft, parallel to the recording surface, on which all said counters are mounted; resilient means disposed between each counter and the shaft; means for rotating said shaft to cause said counters to print on the recording surface, said resilient means acting to equalize the impact of the counters on the recording surface to compensate for inaccuracies in the mounting of the counters on the shaft.

7. In combination, a plurality of printing counters, a root: shaft for supporting the counters, record receiving surface, manipulative means for rocking the shaft to cause the counters to print on the record receiving surface and resilient means connecting the counters to the shaft to compensate for inaccuracies in the mounting of the counters on the shaft, said resilient means comprising a spring and pin-in-slot connection between each counter and the shaft.

8. In a machine having a plurality of printing counters, a shaft for supporting said counters, means for inserting amounts in each of said counters, a recording surface, means for actuating said supporting shaft to cause said counters to print on the recording surface simultaneously, and a resilient connection between each counter and the shaft whereby, during a printing opera- W JUHANNES ZENNIG. BECKER. 

